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PROFILE: EGS
SERVICE AND HUMAN CAPITAL
– A NEARSHORE BOON
Expert Global Solutions (EGS) generates employment and contributes to human capital development through its three growing contact centers in Guatemala. The Guatemalan workforce provides an ideal complement to the company’s services.
“We are lucky to have strong, localized leadership that differentiates us from our competitors. We have local professionals in leadership roles, allowing us to better understand the market.” —Miro Batista,
President, Latin America, Expert Global Solutions
FACTS
Employees: More than 40,000 Revenue: More than US $1.2 billion
Locations: 70 sites in countries across the globe
Ownership: One Equity Partners, the private investment division of JPMorgan Chase
Clients: Fortune 500 companies and other top global brands
Model of service: Onshore, offshore, nearshore, at home
Guatemala has emerged as a paradigm for contact center operations due to its close proximity to the United States, a labor force that is increasingly proficient in English, and a familiarity with North American culture. Taking advantage of these benefits, Expert Global Solutions (EGS) serves its customers’ business process outsourcing (BPO) needs from the Central American nation with sophisticated technology and customization.
80 years of innovation
The holding company for two BPO firms—EGS Customer Care and EGS Financial Care— whose histories extend back more than 80 years, EGS has become a global leader in the industry by supplying its customers with the service, technology, and processes they need to expedite business operations. The company provides customer and financial care services for well-known global brands in a variety of industries, among them telecommunications, finance, healthcare, transportation and logistics, retail, and hospitality.
Using multi-channel support and customized service platforms, EGS delivers a wide range of solutions throughout the customer lifecycle. For example, many EGS clients require contact centers to answer questions related to products or to retain and save customer relationships. Financial care services may include arranging payment plans with delinquent customers or performing first-party collections. EGS can also develop other services based on clients’ needs, such as Tier 1-4 help desk support or cross-selling and up-selling.
The benefits of nearshoring
Guatemala has become a major market for contact centers. In fact, José J. Urizar, EGS Operations Vice President in Guatemala, calls the country “our main emerging market in Latin America.” EGS chose Guatemala for a number of reasons. Proficiency in English
is a requirement for university graduates in the country, meaning that Guatemala’s labor force is becoming increasingly bilingual. The Guatemalan accent is noted for being neutral compared to other Spanish dialects in Latin America, making the country an outstanding location for Spanish language-based services. Guatemala is also located in the Central Time Zone, meaning that business hours and operations are in sync with American companies, especially as compared to contact centers in Asia.
Teamwork and technology
In 2009, EGS opened its first contact center in Guatemala City to provide call center and back- office services to four major U.S. companies, including three in the Fortune 500. Since then, EGS has grown rapidly and recently opened a third contact center. The company continuously trains its staff in a variety of areas, and employees enjoy benefits such as paid training, performance bonuses, and health and medical benefits. Currently, EGS has more than 2,600 employees in its three operational centers in Guatemala, and it is looking to expand by hiring more employees.
Thanks to its dedication to teamwork and an ongoing effort to improve its technology and employee training, EGS has flourished by creating an optimal working environment and making available a variety of benefits and career paths for its employees. Says Urizar, “EGS found great potential in Guatemala,” and the company plans to continue its partnership with the Guatemalan workforce for a very long time.
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